I've been to my dealer 4 times already for a balancing problem that they just can't seem to fix. Since the day I picked up the car the steering has been wobbling at speeds around 70mph. They've tried to balance the tires 4 times already and they've even switched the tires once but still a slight wobble. Two nights ago I got really heated and the techs were nice enough to let me watch and it they even brough in their expert tech to do the job. It turned out that 3 tires were slightly off but he fixed them right in front of me yet today I noticed a really slight wobble which could actually still be seen. Can someone tell me if they have the same problem at high speeds or is it completely smooth? Could one or more of my rims be slightly bent?? I don't know what to do at this point and it's so hard to drive the 1 month old car which this constant shake in the steering.

 

I'm sorry about the terrible gramatical errors above, I kind of wrote it in a hurry.

 

Hope someone comes along with some advice.

Ours drove off the lot perfectly - no wobble and tracks just fine.

?? - any chance it's an alignment issue or a road issue, not tire/wheel balance?

 

I'm trying really hard to convince myself that the problem just might be a slight vibration from minute bumps on the highway but while driving to/from work today the steering actually at a very slight level, was shaking from left to right rather then just vibrating. Also, I had a loaner 04 TL last week and while doing the same speeds in that car, I felt no vibrations whatsoever. About it being a possible alignment issue, I always thought steering wheel vibrations were only caused by balancing issues. Although it burns me that your TL gave you no balancing issues like mine has, I am also glad to hear it because it gives me hope that it can be fixed. Thanks for the comments.

 

make them switch the wheel/tires from a new type-S tat wouldnt vibrate under normal driving condition and compare the result

 

As I've seen it happen at a half dozen locations, their balancer could be off. The weights are placed where the balancer indicates, but if it's not calibrated properly, the wheel/tire will be out of balance.

Having said that, it's unusual to have a new car vibrate as the assembly is balanced at assembly and shouldn't need to be redone. Have them switch wheels/tires, which they probably won't do, or just take it to an independent location to balance, but it will cost you. This way you'll be able to see if the assembly is out of balance, or it's another problem. Frustrating to say the least.

 

My next decision was to tell them to switch out the rims but I get the feeling they really don't want to spend any money fixing the issue and are just trying to somehow get them balanced on the machine. I'm afraid that they'll just tell me they switched the rims and not really do it because I can't prove it. I guess my skepticism isnt going to get me anywhere.

 

As I said, take it somewhere else to have them balanced. If they are out and the shop corrects the problem, be nice and hand them the bill to the dealer for the work done. If it doesn't correct the problem, they'll need to look further.

 

Even though the car is new, have them check for all the ball joints, engine mounts, etc basically all the steering and suspension components. If one of them is bad, it could cause the vibration...

In our Honda the steering wheel would be vibrate at certain highway speeds. Among the components replaced were the ball joints and engine mounts..

Good luck

 

It is a NEW CAR for crying out loud, just take it back to the dealer until they fix it. Give them 3 or 4 chances then mention LEMON LAW. They'll find whats wrong in a hurry.

 

Ask to speak to the service manager ,and tell him your problem personally!....and if doesn't get it fixed/ gives you the run around tell "HIM" you will be calling "American Honda"about the problem, believe me they'll get right on it!.. but be polite about it!......P.S. I hope you any of your rim's aren't bent from any abuse of any kind like pot holes etc., or you can forget about it!

 

Ask them to install hub-centric rings. I had this same problem on my 2004 when I bought aftermarket wheels. Right at 65mph it would start shaking like my high school beater. New car, shouldn't have to worry about this but it won't hurt to try. Discount Tire put mine on and it made it smooth as silk! BTW: rings should be very inexpensive. Discount included them in my installation price...

 

Thank you guys with all the useful advice.


007TL-S -- No, I have not abused the car at all and have definitely not hit any potholes. Infact, I called the service deparment the next day I go the car to report the problem and I've been in and out for almost 5 weeks now. I will probably try this method. Calling American Honda should definitely make shit drip.

RAMEX .... that's exactly how I feel..."It's freaking new car!!!" There should be any question on why they can't fix it, I just can't seem to have any luck bring it in.

 

Mile High Tl ..... what are hubcentric rings?

 

Ask the dealer if they have a road force balance available...they first rotate the tire on the rim to perfect the weight distribution and then balance the wheel and tire with force applied..…must do both to get the best results…..

If not, they are burning daylight (yours)...Discount tire is pretty good at road force balance ...if still a problem then as a post above says...have dealer look further....change tires/rims if they have not already..

“IF”, all else fails, we have a couple of places down here that still have the knowledge and skills to shave tires and balance the wheel and tire while on the car...this will balance the rotor etc.. And gives the best ride (like glass)...hard to find this lost skill…

Yes; shave new tires…The undisturbed/smooth ride of such balanced tires will increase the life of the tire…really…. did not believe it either tell I tried it…

I have a friend that does such at his business...I told him no way you are shaving my new Michelins!! After 30,000 miles of losing the balance at anything over 70..I gave up and they were like glass...they went over 100,000...Michelin M&S LTX on my sub... on my third set of tires all go over 100m..…Works on all tires…really…

 

TEXAS .....holly crap, that sounds cool! What exactly do they do when they shave the tires? I'm assuming this meaning litterally shave some tread off right? So you're saying this will make the tires last almost 100K miles??? Do you think I can find a place here in Jersey that does it?

 

What state are you from? Lemon Law could apply in this case.
American Honda doesn't really do anything to help if you call them. They're usually very in support of the dealership or just say, they don't really have anything to do with it. It really sucks.

 

You should have your rims inspected or switched out. One possibility is that they could be slightly out of round as well.

 

Shaving of the tires has nothing to do with mileage; it's to correct any high spots. I've had Michelin LTX's on 3 of our Grand Cherokee's, and all had over 100K miles on the tires.
The tire is spun and any high spots are removed, similar to turning a rotor, but a little different direction.
If you're going to get technical, take a dial indicator and spin the wheels to check for lateral run out, and axial run out, then use it on the tire to see if any abnormal high spots.

Years ago, when tires weren't as uniform as they are now, guys would jack up the drive wheel, have the car in gear with the tire spinning, then lower the car slowly onto concrete. The high spot would be worn away.

Hubcentric rings are only used when the hub diameter differs from OE equipment. The ring would be used to help keep the wheel centered, rather than relying on just the lug nuts.

 

Good idea ,I don't know why I never thought of that!

 

Not so!... if the problem exsisted when it left the production facility,American Honda has helped!....and when a service manager , get's a visit from the regional manager to investigate the problem......s%#$@ happen's! ...it worked for me when I had my Integra,..... it all depend's on who you talk to and treating these folk's with repect!....they don't want a bad survey for the serviced performed !.......take it from me a former"HONDA SALESMAN" myself! and .... Iwas tight with my service department!

 

Should I write up a bad service report then for my wife's car? She just bought a CR-V from Honda, and it says voice recognition controls the climate control. They sold us on that fact -- because that made the voice control features very similar to the RDX's - but with better gas milage. It turns out that the CR-V doesn't. The salesman was looking for why it wasn't working, and he had no idea. I called up AH and they said that it never was supposed to do that -- even though it's stated in the manual. Dealership never did anything to compensate. And then I found out that the salesman lied to us about the prices of stuff (like the warranty)... -- AH hasn't been doing anything either.

 

Azeem, what ever happened with your wheel situation and were you able to resolne it? Thanks

 

azeemdadream

I had a similar problem with my TL-S and I also was very frustrated. I thought about the same thing to myself why in the world should a new car have any problems. My steering wheel was off-center and it's pulling to one side.

At first, I took it to a Acura dealership near my house and they did the alignment and said it's fixed. So I drove the car out, then on the freeway I noticed the problem still exist, and I turned back to the dealership again. Again they redo the alignment but this time they claim it's has been fixed for sure, because the first time around they had the old system on their computer. So they claim with the new calibrated system, it's definitely fixed. Well, too bad for me, it's not!

A week later, I decided that I need to fix the damn problem so I took it back to the dealership where I purchased the car from and this time I drop off my car and took a loaner. A week later they informed me that they fixed it, so I was ecstatic and very excited.
But that was short lived and the problem still exist.

I drop it off again and it wasn't fixed. So by this time, I decided to go around to other places and I came across Goodyear tires. One of their technician told me that this may be the tire problem. What he explained to me was that when tires are being made, the innerliners(steel wires) are placed by hand and then the machined. Although they go through inspections and ejects the ones with flaws, some times the bad ones may still slip through.

So with this on my mind, I took it back to the dealership and told them that this may be the problem and it was. They changed one of my tire and problem solved. Now my steering is aligned and the car is not pulling. Thank God!

Sorry for such a long story guys!!! Just trying to help and vent a little more. Peace!

Hope this can help you "azeemdadream" .

 

You can also do what "pravin-george" said, file a Lemon Law case.

 

doggydog ...... unfortuntely the problem still exists and the dealer either makes it worse everytime i bring it in or doesn't do anything at all. My next step is to see the factory rep who I am set to see soon. Will keep you updated. What is interesting though is that the dealer swapped out my rims completely with another brand new set from another tl-s and still the same prob.